North Greenville University officials celebrated the opening of its Greer campus on Thursday that houses the school’s graduate school, College of Adult Professional Studies, and its faculty, staff, and admissions counselors. It is also home to the new Graduate School of Health Science, which began offering a Master of Medical Science in Physician Assistant Medicine in January.

The Bon Secours St. Francis Health System of Greenville partnered with NGU for the new physician assistant (PA) medicine program to name the Clinical Skills Academic Center. The program launched in January with 20 students from a pool of more than 600 applicants. NGU launched the upstate’s first PA program in April 2014.

“We’ve got to get out of our comfort zone and get out into our community,” said Bon Secours St. Francis CEO Craig McCoy. “One of the things we are going to need is a workforce for generations to come. So this makes perfect sense to us … we are a faith-based health system and have the opportunity to partner with a faith-based university.”

Greer Mayor Rick Danner said higher education has been a missing link in the growth of the city.

“I think about the opportunities of having a higher education facility in the city of Greer and that has truly been an integral part in growing and developing community,” Danner said. “And it’s an essential piece, too.”

Greer’s whopping growth in 2016 – 521 new homes, $1 billion in retail sales – is already showing startling growth in the first two months of this year with more than 56 new industrial and commercial projects, according to Danner.

“What a benefit it is going to be for to us to have this piece of the puzzle to represent that ongoing piece of education and to address the medical piece,” Danner said. “This just fills a huge hole not only for our community but workforce development, too.”

Meghan Grijalva, working toward a Masters of Arts in Teaching, described the impact the NGU campus in Greer represents to her continuing education. “I am taking English to go toward finishing my masters and to teach high school English. “I want to build a rapport within the doctorate program. Being faith-based (NGU) opens up more opportunities in teaching.”

Classes began at its NGU’s first site, the former Fairview Baptist Church, in February 2006, offering two graduate degree programs in Business and Christian Studies. The graduate school now offers eight graduate and doctoral degree programs and is home to over 200 students.

For more information about graduate and online educational opportunities that can lead to personal and professional success, visit www.ngu.edu/graduate-school.php.